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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Aachen
Give Aachen one full day plus one night: cathedral and treasury in the morning, old town and Printen in the afternoon, Lousberg or the spa fountains if you stay two.
Aachen is a compact medieval and spa city on the German border with Belgium and the Netherlands, about an hour from Cologne by train. Charlemagne's cathedral, a UNESCO site, and its treasury are the core; the rest of the old town, the thermal springs and the university quarter fill a second day. Most travellers see it as a day trip or one-night stop, not a multi-day base.
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- Apr–Oct; May–Jun and Sep are the sweet spot
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, grey); carnival week if you want quiet streets
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €2.50–4 |
| Printen (gingerbread), small pack | €3–6 |
| Lunch, bakery or imbiss | €6–12 |
| Beer, 0.3 l in a bar / bottle at a kiosk | €3–5 / €1.50–2.50 |
| Museum entry (Couven, Suermondt-Ludwig, Ludwig Forum) | €6–10 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi3.1 mi (5 km) taxi | €15–20 |
| City bus single ride | €2.50–3.50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MST · Maastricht Aachen
- About 40 km (25 mi) away in the Netherlands; limited routes, and public transport goes via MaastrichtAbout 25 mi (40 km) away in the Netherlands; limited routes, and public transport goes via Maastricht
- DUS · Düsseldorf
- About an hour by train via Düsseldorf Hbf
- CGN · Cologne-Bonn
- About an hour by train via Cologne Hbf
- BRU · Brussels
- Reachable by train with a change in Liège, Leuven or Brussels
Typical fares
- Aachen Hbf → Cologne Hbf, regional express
- about €20–25, about 55 min (check)
- Bus 350 Aachen → Maastricht
- about €12.80, about 1 h
- Bus 44 Aachen → Heerlen
- about €5.80, about 45 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The old town is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes. ASEAG city buses run from the Bushof hub; buy from the driver or a machine. There is no tram or U-Bahn, but the euregio-Bahn local line links Aachen West, Schanz, Hauptbahnhof and Rothe Erde. Bikes and e-scooters (Tier, Voi) work for the outskirts; the city is hilly. Taxis and Uber are available, with ranks at Hauptbahnhof and Pontstraße.
See and do
Known for
- Aachen Cathedral (UNESCO)
- Cathedral Treasury and Charlemagne's throne
- Carolingian and medieval old town
- Printen gingerbread and thermal springs
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monschau | Bus 66 from Aachen Bushof, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Herzogenrath | Regional train toward Heerlen, about 15 min | About 30 min |
| Zülpich | Train to Düren, then bus, about 1 h 15 min | About 1 h 45 min |
| Bad Münstereifel | Train to Euskirchen, then the Erfttalbahn, about 1 h 30 min | About 2 h |
| Cologne | Regional express from Aachen Hbf, about 55 min | About 1 h 15 min |
| Liège | Train from Aachen Hbf, about 1 h | About 1 h 30 min |
Sleep
- Old town (Altstadt) around Markt and Dom
- Walk to the cathedral, Rathaus and museums; quietest at night, priciest per night.
- Aachen Hauptbahnhof area
- Best for one-night rail stops; 10–15 min walk to the cathedral, easy bags-on arrival.
- Pontstraße and university quarter
- Bars, cheap eats and student life; 5–10 min walk from the centre, noisier evenings.
- Burtscheid
- Quiet spa district south of the centre; thermal baths and a slower pace, bus or 25-min walk in.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hallohallo |
| Thank you | Dankedanke |
| Please | Bittebitte |
| How much is it? | Wie viel kostet das?vee feel kostet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kan ikh mit karte tsah-len |
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette?vo ist dee toy-let-te |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- The cathedral closes to tourists during mass; visit weekdays after 11:00 or weekends after 12:30.
- The treasury shuts on Mondays until 13:00 and closes on 24–25 and 31 Dec, 1 Jan and some carnival days.
- The centre is largely closed to cars; parking runs about €2 per hour, so use park-and-ride on the edge.
- Bike theft happens; use the guarded Radstation by the main station.
- Aachen sits on a three-country border: carry your passport or ID for spontaneous trips into Belgium or the Netherlands.
Aachen is a safe, walkable city; the real risks are pickpockets around the cathedral and Bushof, bikes on the pavements, and late-night quiet in the outer districts. Standard German rules apply: 112 for fire and ambulance, 110 for police.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Aachen yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Aachen Cathedral (UNESCO)
- Cathedral Treasury and Charlemagne's throne
- Carolingian and medieval old town
- Printen gingerbread and thermal springs
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Aachen official city website: www.aachen.de/
- Aachen Cathedral official site: www.aachenerdom.de/en/
- ASEAG (Aachen city buses): www.aseag.de/
- Wikivoyage: Aachen, revision 5323456 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5323456
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Aachen
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Germany has no US, UK or Canadian embassy in Aachen; use the consulates in Düsseldorf or Cologne, or the embassies in Berlin. Check before you travel.
Tipping: round up or add 5–10%, said to the server as you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/aachen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.